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School Open Day Risk Assessment — Generated Instantly for £29
Describe your open day — visitor numbers, outdoor stalls, parking and activities. We generate a fully written, UK-compliant risk assessment covering crowds, stallholders and site safety in minutes.
Used by school business managers, headteachers and PTAs across the UK
🎪 Selling products outside with hundreds of visitors expected? Mention it — we will include stall layout, trip hazard controls, outdoor electrics and crowd management specific to your open day.
Legal requirements for school open days
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a general duty on schools to protect not just staff and pupils but visitors — including prospective parents and children attending an open day. Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks arising from any work activity, and a one-off event with high visitor footfall qualifies as a distinct activity requiring its own written assessment.
Open days introduce risks that do not exist during normal school hours: hundreds of unfamiliar visitors moving through the site, outdoor stalls and product sales, additional vehicle movements and parking pressure, and temporary electrical setups for tills, lighting or PA systems. These all need to be considered separately from the school's routine risk assessments.
Where external stallholders or PTAs are involved, the school remains responsible for overall site safety, though individual traders should provide their own assessments and insurance. A written record demonstrates that the school has met its duty of care under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957 as well as general health and safety law, should an incident occur.
How it works
1. Describe the day
Tell us your expected visitor numbers, whether stalls will be selling products outdoors, parking arrangements and any activities such as tours, demonstrations or performances.
2. Let the app take the strain
Anyrisks produces a fully written, UK-compliant risk assessment referencing the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and covering crowds, stalls and site hazards.
3. Instant download and use
Download as PDF and Word. Share it with the SLT, governors or PTA, and update it each year as the event changes. £29, no subscription.
What it covers
Every open day risk assessment is written in full — covering the specific hazards of high-footfall school events.
Crowd management and maximum capacity for indoor spaces
Outdoor stall layout and trip hazards from cables and tables
External stallholders selling products and required documentation
Vehicle and pedestrian segregation in the car park
Overflow parking and traffic flow management
First aid provision and cover for medical emergencies
Lost child procedures and sign-in arrangements
Fire evacuation routes kept clear during the event
Portable and outdoor electrical equipment (tills, PA, gazebo lighting)
Weather contingency for outdoor stalls and activities
Safeguarding of pupils among unfamiliar adult visitors
Signage and visitor wayfinding around restricted areas
Food safety and allergen information where food is sold
Fire risk and gas equipment for outdoor catering stalls
Works for
From primary school taster days to sixth form open evenings, Anyrisks covers every type of open day event.
What customers say
"We had over 300 visitors and outdoor stalls selling uniform and merchandise. Anyrisks covered the parking, the stall layout and the fire routes properly — governors were happy with it straight away."
Sarah Mitchell
School business manager, Leeds
"Our open evening always has a mad rush at the car park gate. Having a proper assessment for the traffic and pedestrian flow made the whole event feel more organised this year."
David Okafor
Deputy headteacher, Nottingham
"The PTA run food and craft stalls outside every open day. This gave us everything we needed for the site safety officer, including the electrical and fire points for the caterers."
Helen Carter
PTA chair, Bristol
Anyrisks vs DIY templates
| Anyrisks | DIY / Templates | |
|---|---|---|
| Written in full — not a blank form | ✓ | ✗ |
| Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 referenced | ✓ | ✗ |
| Covers high-footfall crowd management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Outdoor stall and product selling hazards included | ✓ | ✗ |
| Parking and traffic flow controls specific to your site | ✓ | ✗ |
| External stallholder responsibilities addressed | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ready in under 2 minutes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Instant PDF and Word download | ✓ | Sometimes |
Frequently asked questions
Do schools legally need a risk assessment for an open day?
Yes. Under Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer, including schools and academies, must assess the risks to staff, pupils and visitors from any activity — including one-off events like open days. High footfall events with unfamiliar visitors and outdoor stalls carry different risks to normal school hours, so a specific written assessment is expected.
What makes an open day risk assessment different from a general school risk assessment?
General school risk assessments cover everyday classroom and site hazards. An open day involves hundreds of visitors unfamiliar with the layout, external stallholders, outdoor selling, additional traffic and parking, and crowd movement through areas not normally open to the public. These all need specific controls that a standard site assessment will not cover.
Does selling food or products outside need extra controls?
Yes. If food is sold, basic food hygiene and allergen information should be considered, and any electrical equipment used outdoors (urns, card readers, gazebo lighting) should be checked for suitability. Stalls selling products need clear pitch layout, trip hazard management around cables and tables, and fire escape routes kept clear at all times.
Who is responsible for visitor and parking safety on an open day?
The school (as employer) retains overall responsibility for the safety of everyone on site, including visitors, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This includes managing car park capacity, pedestrian and vehicle segregation, and clear signage — even where an external company or PTA is running stalls.
Do external stallholders need their own risk assessments?
Yes, ideally. Any external trader or organisation running a stall should provide their own risk assessment and, where relevant, public liability insurance and PAT-tested electrical equipment certificates. The school assessment should reference this and set out how stallholders are briefed and supervised on the day.
How does crowd management factor into the assessment?
With hundreds of visitors expected, the assessment should cover maximum capacity for indoor spaces, one-way flow where practical, clear fire exit routes kept unobstructed, first aid provision and cover for lost children or medical emergencies, and a plan for wet weather if outdoor stalls need to move indoors at short notice.
How quickly can I get an open day risk assessment?
Under 2 minutes. Describe your open day — number of visitors expected, outdoor stalls, parking arrangements and any activities — and Anyrisks generates a complete, regulation-referenced risk assessment instantly, ready to download as PDF and Word.
Can I reuse the same assessment for future open days?
You can use it as a strong starting point, but Regulation 3(3) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires assessments to be reviewed if circumstances change — different visitor numbers, new stalls, a different layout or weather conditions all mean the assessment should be updated before each event.
Also see: The ultimate guide to risk assessment · Do I need a risk assessment · Risk assessment legal requirements · Risk assessment generator